Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-04-15
BEsET BY CROCODILEs.
Terrible Encounter with the Reptiles in the Ga

greatly annoyed and impeded by the
alligators, with which the rivers
named are alive from source to mouth.
In what are known on the survey
maps as the third and fourth mouths
OF the Ganges, these reptiles several
times attacked our boats in broad
daylight, and we lived in constant
dread OF them. These mouths, being
to the east OF Calcutta, descend to
the sea through hundreds of miles OF
fiat land, which is mostly swamp, and
the situation is q favorable one for
reptile life.
One rainy afternoon, while the sur
vey party were kept aboard the steam.
er, one OF our natives put off in his
canoe to fish. He cast anchor not
three hundred yards from US, and had
been fishing only about ten minutes
when we noticed an alligator rise to
the surface behind him. Two ar three
natives called out to him, but he Ell
Their did not hear or did not care. The
reptile sank out Of sight, was gone
about fifteen seconds, and then rose
up, reared out of water with head and
fore feet in the canoe, and the next in
slant 1T was upset. The native utter
cd a direful wall as he realized his
fate, and there was such a rush of al
llgators to the spot that he could hard
~ have made q nouthful apiece for
them.
On another occasion, not more than
Two weeks later I'VE were using anative
IN the same canoe to mark the chan
mel. There was six of us in one OF the
large boats, while he was alone in the
canoe. He had run off with 100 feet
OF line, and was holding the canoe to
the swampy bank with one hand, and
the line with the other, when saurian,
| whose presence was not in the least
suspected, rose under the canoe, upset
it in a. wink, and the man was seized
before he had uttered single cry. He
must have had the survey line wound
around his hand, for it at once began
to run off the reel. and in this way we
followed the crocodile into g. lagoon,
but could not get at him to secure
revenge. have spoken of these rep
tiles as crocodiles and alligators. It
is distinction without difference.
There may be crocodiles that differ
from alligators, but the crocodiles of
India and the aliigators of America
are as much alike as two peas.
fires had been drawn to overhaul her
boiler. We left the steamer shortly
after noon, and it was almost sun
down when we came back down the
lagoon to small island at it's mouth.
AS we were approaching this island
my comrade caught sight of very
large. bird in the reeds and grass, and
knocked it over with a charge from
his shotgun. We should not have
stopped but to get the bird. 1t was
a prize indeed, being a speci-
men entirely new to all OF
1t was six Or seven weeks after the
last seizure that q party of six of us
two whites ard four blacks-started
off in one of the boats to investigate
or explore a lagoon. This lagoon
seemed to be the mouth of a river
or another branch OF the Ganges, but
after following it about nine miles
through fiat, marshy country we
discovered it's true nature. Our steam
err lay about mile below this lagoon,
and on the same side OF
the river, and at that time her
us, although one Of the natives said he
had heard Of such a species of birds
living far up the river. It was as
large as a. turkey, and I presume it
bled a great deal. We had scarcely
showed away from the Island before
alligators began to rise to th4
surface around us, and they were so
bold that my comrade became alarm
ed, and did the worst thing possible
under the circumstances. He threw
the bird overheard, and it wasn't
sixty seconds afterward before we had
to pull ashore on the island to save
ourselves. I do not believe exaggerate
in the least when say that there
! were $50 OF the saurians splashing
about us when we landed. Indeed,
the two OF us were using our firearms
to keep 'em off while the natives
pulled for the shore
We had two double barreled shot
guns, but not over a dozen charges OF
ammunition, and we used bali Of those
before the boat landed. The island
was q spongy bit of land not over SO
feet across, with three or four small
trees growing in the center. | had new
er seen the natives so badly ratified.
The moment the boat touched the
ground they sprang ashore and ran to
to the center of the island, and, in
their haste to abandon the craft, two
OF the oars were allowed to 20 over.
board and float away. 1t seemed for
a moment as if the reptiles meant to
crawl right over us, but the flash o!
the guns and the death of three OF
four of them produced something OF a
scare, and after bit they drew away
from the boat. I stood up on
thwart and looked around in the twi
light, and it seemed to me that the
water all around the little island was
alive with our enemies. They swan
here and there, they turned and twist.
ed and dashed the water, and the odo1
from their bodies and the mud soon
became almost UNDESIRABLE.
It was plain enough that We could
not stop long on that bit of land, and
we called to the natives to return tc
the boat and be off. The poor wretch
es had no courage left. and they be-
gan to cry and whimper like children
We threatened to turn our guns or
them if they did not obey orders, and
then they came running to the boat
The oars which had gone overheard
had doated away and could not be re
covered, and when they discovered thi:
the most intelligent of them said:
"You do not understand these rep
tiles. They are so fierce and hungry
| and are so bold by night that they wi!